Glossary entry (derived from question below)
English term or phrase:
Human Being and 'his' or 'its' nature, behaviour, etc...
English answer:
human(s) and their nature .../humanity and its nature ...
English term
Germany
EN, FR, DE>PT-Br Transcreatio Specialist
Native in: Portuguese
Works in: English to Portuguese, French to Portuguese, German to Portuguese
Human Being and 'his' or 'its' nature, behaviour, etc...
I am working on the translation of my own paper, to be further proofread, so this is not a 'work for a client'.
I wonder what would be the most correct form when using the subject of 'The human' or 'Human being': should I refer as 'its'? or should I use 'his' and this will be ok?
eg. A philosophical comprehension of the human and modes of being; technical being, and so on.
Unlikely in PT-BR, I have to avoid using 'Man' (in order be gender friendly;) and unfortunately, in the context, since refer to a general existential condition, I find a bit odd to use the common "his/her" all the time, since it is a transcendental 'person', not individuals...
thanks a lot in advance!
Jun 6, 2011 09:52: B D Finch Created KOG entry
Non-PRO (1): R.C. (X)
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Responses
human(s) and their nature .../humanity and its nature ...
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Note added at 11 mins (2011-05-31 09:48:58 GMT)
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The use of the plural "their" with a singular subject is often used. It avoids his/her, s/he etc. but, though I do use that, from time to time, as a way around the problem, it is grammatically irritating.
| Thank you, Finch! as you said it is 'grammatically irritating';) |
| agree |
Charles Davis
: I entirely agree
36 mins
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Thanks Charles
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| agree |
Liz Dexter (was Broomfield)
: I think their does help
1 hr
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Thanks Liz
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| agree |
DLyons
: It's possibly a cultural issue - personally I don't find "their" jars at all.
2 hrs
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Thanks. Vesna has demonstrated that it didn't jar with Shakespeare or Thackeray, so who am I to be so hyper-sensitive?
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Phong Le
3 hrs
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Thanks Phong Le
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| agree |
Ildiko Santana
6 hrs
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Thanks Ildiko
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| agree |
Judith Hehir
: their" definitely irritating—good suggestions
6 hrs
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Thanks Judith
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| agree |
Jenni Lukac (X)
: Everybody's dilemma. At times, a singular is needed.
7 hrs
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Thanks Jenni
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| agree |
Yasutomo Kanazawa
1 day 1 hr
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Thanks Yasutomo
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| agree |
Jocelyne S
: Have just seen this now.
2 days 22 hrs
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Thanks Jocelyne
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| agree |
Thuy-PTT (X)
5 days
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Thanks Thuy
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Norway
Experienced translator and editor
Native in: English (Variants: US, UK)
Works in: Norwegian to English, English, Norwegian (Bokmal) to English, and 1 more.
the nature of human beings
Serbia
Economist ~ Business, Legal, IT, QA
Native in: Serbian 
, Serbo-Croat
Works in: English to Serbian, Serbian to English, Bosnian to English, and 5 more.
Mankind and human nature, behaviour, etc...
The term man has traditionally referred to humans in general, or mankind
http://www.britannica.com/EBchecked/topic/275376/human-being
So, your best option for avoiding genders is to avoid any he/she variant and use "they"
" You can make the relevant noun plural, rewording the sentence as necessary"
http://oxforddictionaries.com/page/heshethey/he-or-she-versu...
See this: http://www.fethullahgulen.org/love-and-tolerance/270-the-ide...
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Note added at 36 mins (2011-05-31 10:14:13 GMT)
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"Since at least the 15th century, "they" (though still used with verbs conjugated in the plural, not the singular), "them", "themself", "themselves", and "their" have been used, in an increasingly more accepted fashion, as singular pronouns. This usage of the word "they" is often thus called the singular "they". The singular "they" is widely used and accepted in Britain, Australia, and North America"
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Singular_they
There's not a man I meet but doth salute me / As if I were their well-acquainted friend — Shakespeare, The Comedy of Errors, Act IV, Scene 3 (1594)
"A person can't help their birth," Rosalind replied with great liberality. — Thackeray, Vanity Fair (1848)
| neutral |
B D Finch
: Thanks for the references re "singular they". If it was good enough for Shakespeare and Thackeray, it's good enough for me!
2 hrs
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you're welcome ;)
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Jim Tucker (X)
: Singular they is fine, though irrationally avoided by some, and disliked by editors. But as long as we're going gender-neutral, then "humankind" instead of "mankind" // some may dipute it because they think "man" and "human" are etymologically related...
3 hrs
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Thanks but I think that's debatable ;) but than again, 'they' also raises many different opinions.../Yes, I've fund some interesting readings on the subject ;)
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Amanda Jane Lowles
: I think 'mankind' sounds really good here.
10 hrs
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Thanks! I also think simple "human nature" sounds much better than their (or whoever's) nature
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Discussion